Almost a decade removed from his last NBA head coaching job, Paul Westphal had dropped out of the conversation; he no longer was pursued or perceived as one of the league's coveted candidates.

So he did the wooing. He sent the flowers. He made the phone calls. He spoke with the owners and was passed along to Geoff Petrie. When front-runner Kurt Rambis vacillated during contract discussions, Westphal pounced. Here I am, he persisted. Grab me.

"I just wanted to make my case to somebody who was in a position to hire me," said Westphal, who makes his regular-season Arco Arena coaching debut tonight. "It was time for me to get back into coaching. I have a passion for the game, for the competition. It just took a little longer than I thought."

Now that he has the job, his challenge is to transform the league's worst team (17-65 last season), restoring the Kings to respectability and relevance.

Though soft-spoken and amiable by nature, Westphal's independent streak stretches every inch of his 6-foot-4 frame. He voices opinions that won't be embraced by everyone. He argues that Bob Dylan is a conservative. He considers bombastic radio personality Rush Limbaugh a close friend. He maintains an equally tight bond with film director Dennis Dugan, whom he describes as a "very left-wing" pal. And depending upon one's perspective, he either coaxed an MVP season out of Charles Barkley (1992-93) or indulged the charismatic forward at the expense of the team, a lack of discipline costing the Phoenix Suns a championship.

"Paul is not a conventional coach and not a conventional person," said Mayor Kevin Johnson, who was the Suns' point guard during Westphal's tenure. "A lot of things he does will have us all asking questions. You can't put him in a box. But in the end, he always has his reasons."

The Kings already can attest to his unorthodox lineups and substitutions. In the season opener Wednesday, last year's starting center, Spencer Hawes, came off the bench. Incumbent point guard Beno Udrih, who had been working with the second unit, never stripped off his warmups.

"The game is organic," Westphal said recently.

In case you didn't suspect, he is a native Southern Californian. Beach Boys. Volleyball. UCLA vs. USC. He continues to ride a different wave, though. Be prepared. Even after getting fired by the Suns and enduring 2 1/2 tumultuous years with the Seattle SuperSonics, the new Kings coach didn't get angry. He wrote a book – as yet unpublished. And vowed to try again.

The roots of the game

A five-time NBA All-Star, Westphal is trim and athletic, and appears younger than his 58 years. He still wears his wavy hair stylishly long. His probing blue eyes are rimmed by few wrinkles, and his dry, sarcastic humor is very much intact. His only concession to age is a stiff, awkward stride – the result of left knee and right hip ailments that led to replacement surgery last November.

Before becoming a weekend warrior, Westphal, who is married and the father of two grown children, was an exceptional, explosive guard who excelled at every level.

As a multidimensional star at Aviation High in Redondo Beach, he dazzled college recruiters with his skill and athleticism. UCLA's failure to successfully recruit him remains one of coach John Wooden's greatest disappointments; the versatile guard signed instead with USC.

"The thing about Paul was that he could dunk on anybody," said Leonard Armato, Westphal's roommate at USC and the former agent for Johnson and the late Wayman Tisdale, among others. "He was legendary. We would drive all over L.A. to find the best pickup games. To see this white guy dunking, doing all these spectacular things, especially with his left hand. People would go crazy."

In an incident that first hinted at his drive and determination, Westphal tore major ligaments and cartilage in his left knee during his senior season. He underwent reconstructive surgery, which was not always successful in the 1970s, and damaged his NBA draft status.

Call The Bee's Ailene Voisin, (916) 321-1208.